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Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider Arts and Culture devider 'Stardew Valley' celebrates 10th anniversary

'Stardew Valley' celebrates 10th anniversary

How the cozy farming simulator won everyone's hearts

Published Feb 25, 2026 09:58 pm
COZY LIFE Players get to build and manage their own farm in Stardew Valley.
COZY LIFE Players get to build and manage their own farm in Stardew Valley.
Ten years ago, an indie farming simulator by the name of “Stardew Valley” released to the public and immediately captured its hearts.
Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone first started work on the video game in 2012. Taking inspiration from the “Harvest Moon” series, Eric was set on creating a farming game to improve on his computer programming skills. It took him four years and a lot of hard work to get it to where it is today. 

MEET THE DEV Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone
MEET THE DEV Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone
As of 2026, “Stardew Valley” has reportedly sold over 50 million copies worldwide. It sits consistently within the top 100 most-played games on Steam, currently it ranks at 17th with an average of 65,000 players daily. Since its initial release on PC, the game has expanded to mobile phones and other consoles. 
“Stardew Valley's” gameplay is quite simple. It follows the journey of the player's character quitting their corporate job to live the simple life by managing a farm close to Pelican Town. Using the resources left behind by their deceased grandfather, the player is left to build up their farm from scratch, while befriending and aiding the townsfolk. Along the way, you can also romance some of the town's villagers to start a family. Aside from farming, players can also go mining, fishing, scavenging, and fighting all sorts of wild creatures to make a living. It's a fairly casual game, which makes it easy for anyone to pick up and start playing. Multiplayer mode also allows players to set up farms with their friends.


WHAT'S NEXT? Eric is currently working on his next game, 'Haunted Chocolatier.'
WHAT'S NEXT? Eric is currently working on his next game, 'Haunted Chocolatier.'
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Eric has revealed that he is adding a massive update to the game. In version 1.7, two new marriage candidates will be added, as well as a new farm map, additional lore content, and more hashed out relationship content. There's also the “Stardew Valley: Festival/Symphony of Seasons” world tour taking place right now, where orchestral renditions of the game's soundtrack are being performed live. Its Manila run will take place on April 25, 2026 at The Theatre at Solaire. Thai conductor Thanapol Setabrahmana is set to conduct the Filharmonika Orchestra for the concert. Eric is also hard at work on his next game, 
“Haunted Chocolatier,” where players live in a haunted castle and need to gather unique ingredients to make chocolate for their shop. 

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